Salmon Don at Jap’s Table, Darlington

“Like a sushi roll, but without the sushi-ness?” my lunch buddy asks, eyes wide when I tell her this is what I will be having.

“Er, yeah!” I agree, “I guess that’s exactly what it is!”

While the friend is weirded out and goes on to order Yakitori, there is something really lovely about the simplicity of Charashi, or “Salmon Don” as it’s called here. Just sashimi on rice with all the essential extras – wasabi, pickled ginger, nori – in the bowl.

Brand new Jap’s Table do it beautifully. The fish is bright-orange fresh and the rice seasoned just right; spring onions, sesame seeds and roe add a welcome prettiness.

At $9, it takes out the best value lunch on the Darlington strip. And they’ll even throw in a free miso soup!